Canadians, Mark and Karen Wolverton, first signed a license agreement with Lush U.K. in early 1996, for the development of both retail and manufacturing of the Lush brand in the Canadian market. Mark, in his capacity as president, has been responsible for overseeing the opening of manufacturing plants on both the east and west coasts of Canada, rolling out retail operations in all viable markets within Canada, and developing a strong internet and mail order based fulfillment centre, covering both the U.S. and Canada. Based on the success of the Canadian roll-out and the strength of the operational systems put in place, it was decided by Lush U.K. to expand Mark’s scope to include overseeing the development of the U.S. market at the retail level.

Mark is Canadian born and raised and has resided in Vancouver, B.C. all of his life. He graduated from B.C.I.T. in Financial Management in 1986 and worked alongside his father and brother in the expansion of their family-owned brokerage business, Wolverton Securities. Currently he, his brother, and sister oversee a family portfolio of investments in apartment buildings, commercial space, bars and restaurants.

Recognizing the potential of the Lush brand, Mark moved out of the brokerage business in 1997 and began working full time for Lush. Mark and his wife Karen, embrace the challenge of the development and exploitation of the North American market for the Lush brand and hopes to work closely with the U.K. in the coordination of the brand globally.